Small & Tiny

Ask anyone who works from home what one of their biggest challenges is, and you’ll probably hear the need for a dedicated place to work with minimal distraction. Working from your house sounds great. You have the freedom to do whatever – including dishes, laundry, walk the dog, or catching up on a tv show, all of which can seriously limit your productivity.

Several companies offer backyard “shedquarters” which provide a perfect space for your office, artist workshop, writing studio or whatever else you need some privacy for. Sure, it might extend your commute from nothing to a short walk through the backyard garden, but it seems worth it.

1. Inoutside

This Australian company created a modern backyard space, and the “Cooba” model is shown here. The contemporary space goes the distance in terms of style. http://inoutside.com.au/

2. Sett Studio

Another lovely modern design comes courtesy of Settstudio, an Austin, Texas based company.

3. Modern Spaces

Aptly described as “forts for grown-ups!” these fully installed sheds with finished exteriors start at $6,000. Currently only California residents can get the on-site installation though. http://www.modernspacesandsheds.com/

4. Modern Cabana

This San Francisco company offers sheds in a variety of configurations such as the 10×12 foot studio seen here. It features a sliding glass door and floor to ceiling windows.

5. MetroShed

Designed by David Ballinger, this prefab model ships in a flat pack and costs $6,000-10,000. While it looks like the simplest design here, it actually incorporates insulated SIP panels, cedar beams, and plenty of eco-friendly design touches. Plus you can easily customize with your own finishes. http://www.metroshed.com/

6. Modern Shed

A husband and wife team started this modern shed company in Seattle, offering flat-pack prefab structures like this basic 8×10 foot shed priced at $6,900. http://www.modern-shed.com/

7. Studio Shed

8. Kanga Shed

This Austin, TX based company produces some very nice prefab structures, including the Basic Shed and the Modern Studio, both of which are built to very high quality standards. http://kangaroomsystems.com/

9. Summerwood

This Canadian based company produces sheds in a variety of styles, from modern to traditional with a base cost of $5300. http://www.summerwood.com/

10. G-Pod

Looking for something a bit different? Consider the G-Pod, which looks like something George Jetson would have designed. Prices start at $14,995. http://g-pod.com/

11. Kithaus

Another gorgeous prefab option described as the “anything you want pod” comes from this company, but prices are higher than most others, starting at $30k. http://kithaus.com/

With the growing trend of “pubsheds” comes an increasing amount of creativity, as demonstrated by this guy who turned a simple shed dubbed “The Barn” into a very creative backyard bar where he and his buddies can hang out and enjoy a couple drinks. What makes his build unique though is the peculiar use of a whopping 5,500 pennies which he incorporated into the design. Check it out below.

The gabled barn style shed looks nice on the outside…

Yet the inside was lacking in proper bar decor, so he went to work building a bar.

The bar itself isn’t too fancy…yet.

Here’s where he starts to get creative, setting aside $55 worth of pennies for special use.

He even sorted the pennies, keeping the pre-1982 ones from the rest. Talk about commitment!

Before using the pennies, he decided to soak them in vinegar and salt, which removes the oxidization and brings them back to a shiny new state.

But he also left half of them to dry without polishing, which created a nice variation in the color for his project.

Then he set to work, laying the pennies in a diamond pattern according to their shades of color.

You might notice every penny is facing heads up.

Finally he slathered four quarts of resin over the top, using a blowtorch to remove any bubbles, and was left with a beautiful surface on his new bar.

And of course he installed a kegerator to dispense ice cold brews for him and his friends.

The completed project on display, with three local Virginia beers on tap!

Barry MacGabhann from Worcester who has transformed the 12 foot by 8 foot shed at the bottom of his garden into a fully stocked traditional country pub. See NTI story NTISHED. His pride and joy took just a weekend to put together and the former publican, who ran pubs in Westminster and Victoria, had plenty of breweriana to make his homemade effort look authentic. Unsurprisingly, friends and relatives often pop by for a pint while he and his partner Helen have happily held plenty of celebrations at the miniscule pub. Though it looks relatively small on the outside, inside it has a bar and stools, Sky television, karaoke machine as well as bar fridges, beer pumps and optics.

The tiny house craze continues to grow, and with it comes a variety of different styles an purposes. You see, not everyone wants to build a tiny house to live in. Sometimes they have other plans, like wanting a private writing studio/office, or as we see here, a mini-speakeasy to share some drinks with friends. Folks in the UK have been modifying their backyard sheds for years, and each year Readersheds UK holds a contest for the best new construction. These are a few of the past winners.

Tiny houses have gone mainstream, and with the increasing number of builds we’re seeing all sorts of creative ideas when it comes to making the most out of a small space. This modern style tiny home from Australia is just the latest example, and what makes it stand out is the creative use of a bed that raises or lowers to make extra space.

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Aside from the clean modern design, this tiny house also features a detachable porch which further adds to the visual appeal and makes for a great little spot to hang out.

Let’s face it, tiny houses look and sound cool on so many levels. But would you actually want to live in one? That’s debatable. But one thing that’s not even close to debatable is how incredible this tiny house is. Dubbed the “Alpha” for obvious reasons and built by New Frontier Tiny Homes, this build shows off some of the most impressive design features we’ve seen in a home of any size! The pictures speak for themselves.

Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) are becoming more and more popular in cities that are trying to increase density in single family zones, without incentivising the demolition of historic architecture. As most of these strucutres are being build in backyards and limited to modest footprints, designers must get creative in terms of getting the most out of their small stature. This bright and spacious ADU shows just how much functionality one can get out of a small footprint, which also happened to be a conversion of an existing detached garage.

Susan Moray had large aspirations when she began her journey to create new space on her small lot in Portland, Oregon. She had 550 square feet to work with and was looking to build-out the garage into a guest house, even with potential to rent out to long-term or short term tenants.

Historic neighborhood standards kept Susan from going design-crazy on the exterior. The form of the existing garage provided a solid framework to build on, adding contemporary touches like fully glazed sliding doors, a patio, and garden features.

The kitchen occupies a nicely lit corner in the ADU, with functional open shelving and a funky orange refrigerator.

Don’t think you’d ever live in a trailer home? You might reconsider after laying eyes on this creative masterpiece. Located in Austin, Texas, this very unique home is actually made from two trailers allowing it to be moved easily. Though small, at just 400 square feet, it’s big on style thanks in part to the genius of interior designer Kim Lewis.

Clean lines, rich textures, and a balance of neutral white/black with splashes of color bring a ton of personality into the space. The salvaged flooring came from a 1960s home in Austin.

The breezeway includes a pair of dog houses nested under the bench, and make for a cozy place for their two rescues to catch some Z’s.

The slim kitchen features plenty of space to prep thanks in part to a movable island. Instead of a refrigerator, the owners use two small refrigerator drawers.

Behind the bed on the trailer’s gooseneck you’ll find a spacious closet that also includes a 2-in-1 washer/dryer.

The two owners of this home moved from Colorado to Austin to start their second urban winery business, and the home doubles as a tasting room. Thanks to the team at Tiny House Nation and the brilliance of Kim Lewis they were able to make their dream home a reality.

The curb appeal starts at the colorful steps and reaches every inch of the exterior. The spacious deck offers extra space for entertaining, and we love the hammock draped between the two planters. Based on the results we imagine they won’t have a problem impressing guests, wherever they decide to take their trailer home.

Almost as if Walt Disney himself placed this perfectly gabled little cottage in the middle of a tree specked grassy meadow, this house by architecture studio Zecc and Roel van Norel evokes warm feelings of fairy tale nostalgia. The house was built in the rural countryside of Utrecht, The Netherlands, and contains a modest floor plan with an open layout, lofted sleeping area, and functional kitchen with full bath.

The forest-facing facade features a wall of motorized shutters that have the ability to open up completely to the landscape beyond. The shutters modulate light and create varying degrees of privacy depending on the desired use.

The interiors are built out with natural materials. The finished concrete slab gives mass and weight to the floor, while the wood on the wall finishes and ceiling give the vertical elements a feeling of weightlessness.

The roof line is asymmetric, overhanging further on the end that protects the wall of moving shutters.

When the sun goes down the shutters close, providing the visual protection desired during the night.

Here’s a looker! Three words: stunning, clean, bright. Ok, a few more words. This 399sf masterpiece can be found at the Wildwood, a luxury vacation resort, and is the newest addition to their set of homes. It costs $315k, but that gets you quite an impressive little home in an absolutely beautiful setting. And perhaps it can serve as inspiration to build your own version for a lot less!